1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a leather-like sheet having an image depicted with an ink jet system, a process for producing the leather-like sheet, golf gloves formed by the use of the leather-like sheet and a leather-like sheet to be used for depiction by means of an ink-jet system. The present invention also relates to a high-quality leather-like sheet which is excellent in design effects, provided with an image that is precise and fine, vividly depicted, and excellent in abrasion resistance and color fastness, and which can be produced more straightforwardly than before in high productivity at a low cost.
2. Description of the Related Arts
As a method for producing a pattern on an artificial leather, there has heretofore been adopted in general, a method in which a pattern is depicted by means of gravure printing, textile printing, roller printing, transfer printing, hand depicting or the like. However, the method for depicting a pattern by means of gravure printing, textile printing, roller printing, transfer printing or the like makes it necessary, in the case of changing a design or figure, to alter a gravure roll, a textile printing screen, an engraving roll or the like, thereby requiring long hours, much man-hours and great expenses. Moreover, in the case of any of the above-mentioned conventional methods being adopted, it restricts the number of colors, requires much time, labor or experience in color-matching work, or causes a problem in the precision and fineness of the images to be produced. Further in the case of the hand depicting being adopted, it needs highly advanced skill and long hours, thus lowering its productivity to a great extent.
An ink-jet printer has recently been widespread in the field of printing. Different from the conventional gravure printing, textile printing, roller printing, transfer printing or the like as mentioned hereinbefore, the ink-jet printer makes it possible to print precise and fine images and letters on paper or the like by means of multi-color printing in a short time only by modulating and altering the images on a computer. In such circumstances, an attempt has been made to utilize such printing technique by the ink-jet system in a leather raw material. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59700/1997 (Hei-9) describes a leather product which is produced by forming an aqueous undercoat layer on a leather raw material such as natural leather, further installing thereon a porous ink receiving layer containing alumina hydrate, depicting images on said porous ink receiving layer by means of the ink-jet system, and installing thereon a protective light-transmittable layer. However, since in the above-mentioned leather product, the ink receptivity (dyeing affinity) of the alumina hydrate to be used in the porous ink receiving layer is insufficient, it is difficult to form an image which is precise, fine, vivid and high in resolution, and further the resultant image is apt to form a color tone without depth, when the above-described method is applied to an artificial leather with grains. In addition, the conventional technique involves the problem that the porous ink receiving layer is liable to falling off due to friction, thus making itself unsatisfactory with regard to abrasion resistance as well. Therefore, the printing technique by means of ink-jet system has not yet been sufficiently put into positive practice in the field of an artificial leather in spite of a variety of advantages including easiness of image change and design, high rate of production and easiness of multi-color printing. Such being the case, it has been sought to develop a technique capable of forming images that are precise, fine, vividly depicted, have favorable depth in color tone, and are excellent in abrasion resistance and color fastness on the surfaces of an artificial Leather by means of an ink-jet system. Nevertheless, the present situation is that such a technique as mentioned above has not yet been achieved.